Protective case for mobile device with auxiliary battery and power control

ABSTRACT

A protective case for a mobile device is disclosed. The case includes an additional power source (i.e., a battery) that can supply electric current to the mobile device. A processing device within the protective case may be wirelessly connected to the mobile device, such as with a Bluetooth interface, and thereby control operational aspects of the battery case, including for example control over supplying power to the mobile device. The battery case may be part of a charging system or kit that includes a uniquely designed separate charger. In yet another aspect, the protective case may include unitary bumper flexible bumper co-molded to the body of the case and a male connector extending from a nested portion that is adapted to tilt outward from the case to facilitate insertion of the corresponding female port on the mobile device into the connector and into the case. The protective case may also include a stand in the form of dock or cradle to allow positioning and/or charging of the battery case and mobile device via external contact terminals correspondingly positioned on the outside of the case and in the cavity of the cradle.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) from U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/924,198, filed on Jan. 6, 2014, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety,except for the Abstract set forth on page 51 thereof. This applicationis related to U.S. application Ser. No. 13/489,325, filed Jun. 5, 2012,now U.S. Pat. No. 8,390,255, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Appl. No. 61/651,981, filed May 25, 2012.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

This patent document relates to user removable protective enclosures orcases for mobile devices. More particularly the subject matter of thispatent document relates to such cases that include auxiliary batterycapacity.

2. Description of the Related Art

Mobile devices are known to sustain damage from impact, such as from afall or being dropped by a user and from contamination, such as whendamaged by water or other fluid. The damage, for example, may result ina cracked screen, scratches on a finished surface, lost or damagedbuttons or controls, cracked or bent external body components, and/orfailed or malfunctioning electrical components. Cases have thus beenprovided to protect mobile devices from such and variant types ofdamage.

Protective cases with integrated batteries are available. Typically,such cases have a battery cell or cells within the case, along withpower supply terminals that are inserted into the mobile device's dataand battery charging port. In certain devices, the data battery chargingport comprises a female USB port. In other mobile devices such as theiPhone® 5 by Apple®, a proprietary data and charging port is used.(iPhone and Apple are trademarks of Apple Inc.) In either case,electrical current is supplied by the internal battery of the case tothe mobile device in such a way that the mobile device operates as ifthe current supplied is from a battery charging power supply instead ofthe auxiliary battery. The protective case can be arranged to havepermanently installed battery cell(s), or can be arranged to so that thebattery cell(s) can be user replaceable.

In certain protective cases with auxiliary batteries, the user of themobile device uses a mechanical switch to manually select which batterypowers the mobile device, either the internal battery of the mobiledevice, or the auxiliary battery internal to the protective case. Inother protective cases, an app, i.e., a software application, executingon the mobile device monitors mobile device usage patterns, and sendsusage data, including the amount of charge left in the battery in themobile device to a processing device in the protective case. Theprocessing device in the protective case then determines when to enablesupply of current from the battery of the protective case, through thedata and charging port, and into the mobile device, for charging of themobile device battery.

The ability of processing device of the protective case to accuratelydetermine when to enable the supply of current from the protectivecase's battery to the mobile device's battery is directly related to theaccuracy of the data supplied by the mobile device. Unfortunately, thebattery condition data (e.g., the amount of charge left in the battery)supplied through the data and charging port of most mobile devices,including the Apple® iPhone® and most Android™-based devices isunreliable. (Android is a trademark of Google Inc.) When the processingdevice of the protective case having an auxiliary battery receivesinaccurate battery condition data, it can enable the supply of currenteither too soon or too late. Both situations are problematic. Forexample, to obtain the maximum amount to time for using the mobiledevice, it is desirable to delay enablement of the auxiliary battery foras long as possible, since it is known that most mobile devices consumemore power when run on external power supplies. Likewise, if the supplyof current from the auxiliary battery is delayed too long, the mobiledevice can exhaust its battery before the auxiliary supply of current isenable, thus leading to the device shutting down.

Additionally, because battery cases require a male plug that connects tothe female power port or connector of the mobile device, conventionalbattery cases typically are comprised of a base portion and separateperimeter portion to facilitate insertion of the mobile device in thecase. As a result, it is not uncommon for the case to separate (e.g.,the bumper portion to dislodge or fall off) when the case is dropped.

Accordingly, it is here recognized that there is a need for protectivecases for mobile devices that have an auxiliary battery that can supplyelectric current to the mobile device, and where the protective case isarranged to receive accurate data regarding the condition of the mobiledevice's battery.

SUMMARY

There exists a continuing need for new and improved designs for casesfor mobile devices that provide protection to the mobile device whilealso providing displaced user control over the operation of the mobiledevice.

Disclosed is a unique and inventive protective case configured toreceive and protect a mobile device wherein said case includes anadditional power source (i.e., a battery) that can supply electriccurrent to the mobile device. In one aspect a processing device withinthe protective case is wirelessly connected to the mobile device, suchas with a Bluetooth interface such as a Bluetooth low energy (“BLE”)interface. (Bluetooth is a trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc.) While BLEmay be employed to implement the connectivity between the case and themobile device, it should be understood that any suitable wirelessinterface is may be used, including standard Bluetooth or industrial,scientific and medical (ISM) radio bands for RF. In yet another furtheraspect, the protective case may be formed of one or more enclosurecomponents that individually or collectively securely surround, in wholeor in part, the mobile device and/or perimeter thereof. When formed ofmultiple components, the components may be adapted to being connected toone another in a reversible locking connection. A unitary constructionformed of a rigid component co-molded to a relatively less rigid andmore elastic component that forms the bumper and one or both end regionsof the case is also disclosed. In yet a further aspect, the protectivecase may also include a stand formed as a cradle or dock that receivesthe bottom end region of the case and supports it on end so that thecase is in a generally upright position. When the case is inserted inthe dock, the dock can charge or power the case via an external powersource connected thereto. The dock and case are provided with externalcharging connector pins or terminals (as opposed to male and femaleconnector plugs and ports), to facilitate charging and ease of insertionand removable from the charging dock or cradle.

Each of the foregoing various aspects, together with those set forth inthe claims and described in connection with the embodiments of theprotective cases summarized above disclosed herein may be combined toform claims for a device, apparatus, system, methods of manufactureand/or use in any way disclosed herein without limitation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects and advantages are described belowwith reference to the drawings, which are intended to illustrate but notto limit the invention. In the drawings, like reference charactersdenote corresponding features consistently throughout similarembodiments.

FIG. 1 is a front side perspective view of an assembly, including abattery case and a rechargeable battery according to one embodiment.

FIG. 1A is a front side perspective view of the case of FIG. 1containing a mobile device.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the case of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear plan view of the case of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a front side perspective exploded view of a battery caseaccording to the case of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4A is a right side plan magnified view of the interior of a bumperportion of the case of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4B is a top plan magnified view of a base portion of the case ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 4C is a right side plan magnified view of a base portion of thecase of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a top schematic layout view illustrating the electricalcomponents for the base portion of the case of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6A is a front side perspective view of a base portion of a caseaccording to the case of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6B is a front side perspective view of a mobile device beingsecured on the base portion of a case according to the case of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6C is a front side perspective view of a mobile device beingfurther secured in a case according to the case of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6D is a front plan view of a base portion of a mobile device in acase according to the case of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a front side perspective view of a charger according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a rear plan view of the charger of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a front side perspective view of a kit according to yetanother embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a left side plan view of the kit of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a front side perspective view of a system according to yetanother embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a front side perspective magnified cutaway view of a bottomportion of the system of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating circuitry of the auxiliary powersupply contained within the protective case.

FIGS. 14A-14F are various plan views of a battery charger.

FIGS. 15A-15B are various perspective views of a battery charger as inFIGS. 14A-14F.

FIGS. 16A-16B are exploded views of various components of a batterycharger as in FIGS. 14A-14F.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating circuitry of a battery chargeras in FIG. 14.

FIGS. 18A-18D are various exemplary display views on a mobile devicewhen an app is used.

FIG. 19 is an exemplary battery status display view on a mobile devicewhen an app is used.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of an implementation of a battery case andcharging dock system.

FIGS. 21A-21H are various views of the battery case illustrated in FIG.20 including a front perspective, front face, rear face, left side,right side, top-end, bottom end and partial exploded views respectively.

FIG. 22A is cross sectional view of the battery case taken along lineA-A illustrated in FIG. 21A.

FIG. 22B is cross sectional view of the battery case taken along lineB-B illustrated in FIG. 21A.

FIGS. 23A-23D are various views of the charging dock depicted in FIG.20, including top perspective views and a bottom perspective view asshown in FIG. 23D.

FIGS. 1-12 and the corresponding written description set forth above andbelow were disclosed in commonly owned U.S. application Ser. No.13/489,325, filed Jun. 5, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,390,255 issued onMar. 5, 2015, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Appl. No.61/651,981, filed May 25, 2012.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed herein is a protective case for a mobile device configured tosupply auxiliary electric current to a mobile device so as to increasetime the mobile device can be used before recharging is necessary. Theprotective case comprises a battery case for a mobile device and kitcomprising the battery case, rechargeable batteries, a battery charger,and wireless control circuitry is disclosed herein. The embodimentsdisclosed herein are described in the context of a battery case for anApple® iPhone® mobile device because the embodiments disclosed hereinhave particular utility in this context. However, the embodiments andinventions herein can also be applied to other types of electronicdevices, including, but not limited to tablets, PDAs, e-readers, MP3players (such as an iPod®), laptops, etc. (iPod is a trademark of AppleInc.)

With reference to FIGS. 1-4, an improved battery case for a mobiledevice can comprise a case 10. As best seen in FIG. 4, the case 10generally comprises a base portion 20 and a side protector or bumperportion 12. The case 10 can be generally shaped to contain and protect amobile device (e.g. an iPhone®). When placed inside of a case, themobile device (FIGS. 6C and 6D) desirably fits snugly, although the userdesirably still has access to the buttons and/or touch screen of themobile device either directly through apertures in the case 10 orindirectly through button features included on the bumper portion 12 orbase portion 20. According to some embodiments, the bumper portion 12and the base portion 20 are attached together permanently orsemi-permanently to comprise a single integral unit. According to otherembodiments, the bumper portion 12 and the base portion 20 comprise acase 10 that comprises two pieces that are releasably attached togetherto contain a mobile device, as illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 4.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the bumper portion 12 can comprise a singlepiece, forming a perimeter of the case 10. The bumper portion 12 maycomprise a first side or end 81 and a second side or end 82 opposite thefirst end 81. The bumper portion 12 may also have a third side 83opposite a fourth side 84. The bumper may also have an inner surface 85and an outer surface 86. The bumper portion 12 may also have a frontedge 87. Desirably, the front edge 87 is flush or substantially flushwith the screen or display of a mobile device when the mobile device iswithin the case. However, in other embodiments, the front edge 87extends over or overhangs at least a portion of the mobile device screenwhen a mobile device is inserted in case 10. As is shown in FIGS. 1 and4, the bumper comprises a single side protector which is configured toprotect each of the four sides of a mobile device received within thecase 10. Alternatively, however, the case could have one or moreseparate side protector corresponding to each individual side of themobile device, or have one or more separate side protectors which wraparound the corner of the mobile device and therefore protect at least aportion of two or more sides of the mobile device.

In some embodiments, the continuous bumper portion 12 may comprise twoor more pieces that connect together to form a perimeter of the case 10.The two or more pieces may interlock together to protect the sides of amobile device. However, in other embodiments, the bumper may comprisetwo or more pieces that may be integral with two or more pieces of thebase portion of the case. In such an embodiment, the two or more piecesof the case each comprising a piece of a bumper portion and a piece ofthe base portion may connect to one another around a mobile device, viaan appropriate mechanism such as a slide-and-lock mechanism.

The bumper portion may include feature apertures 14 corresponding tofeatures on the mobile device, for example, the headphone inlet and thevibrate switch (illustrated). Other feature apertures may beincorporated into the bumper portion 12 to allow for access to theon/off button, speakers, volume controls, Bluetooth® switch, and othersuch features present on the mobile device. The bumper portion 12 mayalso include button features 16 corresponding to other features on themobile device such as volume controls and sleep or on/off switches(illustrated). The button features 16 may also be formed into the bumperportion to correspond to other features of the mobile device. The buttonfeatures 16 may be raised and/or molded into the bumper portion 12, asthus made of the same material of the bumper portion 12. However, insome embodiments the button features 16 may be made of a differentmaterial than the bumper portion 12, or they may comprise an additionalmaterial, such as rubber, coated on the button features 16 to improvetactility and use of the button features 16.

The bumper portion 12 may be made of a plastic or polymeric material. Insome embodiments, the bumper portion 12 is molded in a single piece, andis made of a suitable material such as polycarbonate, polypropylene,polyvinyl chloride, and the like. The bumper portion 12 may be made by asuitable process such as injection molding. Preferably the bumperportion 12 is made of a material that is suitably flexible to allow amobile device to fit snugly within the bumper portion 12 and to allowthe button features 16 to flex and contact the corresponding buttons ona mobile device without fracture. Additionally, the material may beimpact resistant enough to resist fracture when the case 10 containing amobile device is dropped from a user's hand, a table, a desk and similarheights onto a variety of surfaces including concrete, asphalt, carpet,and the like. Such a height may include heights such as six feet, fivefeet, four feet, three feet, and the like.

Additionally, the bumper portion 12 may be made of a plastic or polymermaterial that can be made in a variety of hues. By providing a bumperportion 12 that can be made in a variety of colors, a user canpersonalize the battery case 10, without having to purchase a new baseportion 20, which may include components that are much more expensiveand/or difficult to manufacture than bumper portion 12. In someembodiments, the bumper portion 12 may be made of a plastic or polymericmaterial that is red, blue, orange, yellow, green, purple, pink, white,black, or a mixture of any of the above. The bumper portion 12, incertain embodiments, may also be made of a variety of materials, thusallowing for further personalization of the case 10.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, base portion 20 forms the base of thecase and is configured to support the mobile device and provide a baseto which the bumper portion 12 can attach. The base portion 20 mayinclude a thin substantially rectangular body defining a back panel 29adapted to form an outer surface of the case 10 and an inside panel 25adapted to support and be positioned adjacent to a mobile device. Thecase and, desirably, the inside panel 25 define a plane corresponding tothe position of the back surface of the mobile device when it ispositioned within the case 10. The base portion 20 may further include anested portion 26 extending from the inside panel 25 opposite the backpanel 29.

In some embodiments, electrical contacts may be present on the baseportion of the case 20. The electrical contacts may be located near oron the bottom end of the base portion 20. In other embodiments, theelectrical contacts may be located elsewhere along the back panel 29.The electrical contacts may be configured to connect to a chargingdevice.

A data or charging device may comprise any device that may transferpower from a power source to the case 10 and/or charger 50. In someembodiments, the charging device may be a charging and/or data cablesuch as charging cable 1010.

In other embodiments, the charging device may include a charging cradle1090 in addition to or instead of a charging cable 1010. A chargingcradle may include a base 1091 that may include a concave surface 1092shaped to fit a case 10. The concave surface 1092 may also assist inholding a case alone or a case containing a mobile device upright. Thecharging cradle, in some embodiments, may also be able to charge thecharger 50. In some embodiments, the base may be relatively planar, andthe case may be laid flat upon the base. The charging cradle 1090 mayalso include one or more leads 1093 that may transmit power tocorresponding contacts on the case 10 or charger 50 when the contactsare touching the leads 1093. The base 1091 may also include a plug orport or means to provide power to the base 1091. In some embodiments,the charging cradle 1090 may include a port configured to plug into thecase 10 to provide power to charge the case with or without a mobiledevice contained therein.

A charging cradle 1090 may be configured to charge the case with orwithout a rechargeable battery contained therein and with or without amobile device. The charging cradle 1090 may be able to charge any pieceof the mobile device assembly inductively or conductively.

The base portion may further comprise a feature opening or window 21,shaped to allow a view of a feature located on the rear of the mobiledevice, such as a camera lens (illustrated). According to someembodiments, a camera lens insert 21A may be inserted into the featureopening 21. Such insert may protect the case 10 from scratching thesurface of a mobile device contained within the case. The base portionalso may define a battery aperture 22, shaped to contain a rechargeablebattery 40. Electrical components (not illustrated) may also becontained within the base portion 20. The nested portion 26 may extendabove the inside panel 25 so as to be flush or substantially flush withthe outer edge of the bumper portion 12. In some embodiments,“substantially flush” may mean that the nested portion 26 extends aboveor below the bumper portion 12, a distance of about 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm andthe like. The nested portion 26 may comprise a plug 28 and controls 27.The inside panel 25 and bumper portion 12, when the case is assembled,may form an inner portion containing the nested portion 26, inside panel25 of the base portion 20, and the inner side of the bumper portion 12.The inside panel 25 may be attached to the back panel 29 by a suitableadhesive such as an epoxy or acrylic.

Electrical components, which may be contained within the nested portion26, may comprise such components as wires, printed circuit boards,capacitors, resistors, and the like. The electrical components maytransfer the charge from the battery 40, when placed in the batteryaperture 22 to a mobile device connected to the plug 28. The controls 27may also operate the electrical components. The electrical componentsmay also allow the battery 40 to be charged when placed in the batteryaperture 22 in the case 10 when a charging cable 1010 is inserted intothe inlet 31 and connected to a power source such as a computer or apower outlet. Additional circuitry allowing accurate exchange ofinformation, e.g., battery condition information, between the batterycase 10 and the mobile device are shown in FIG. 14 and discussed below.

The charging and/or data cable 1010 may have a male connector 1012, atone end configured to be inserted into the case 10, another maleconnector 1014 at the other end shaped to connect to a power source, anda wire 1013 joining the connectors 1012, 1014. The charging and/or datacable 1010 may be capable of transferring power and/or data between apower source and/or computer and a case.

The charging cable 1010 may be any type of cable having any number ofwires that can electronically connect the case 10 to a computer or powersource. In one embodiment, the cable is a USB cable (e.g., a USB 2.0cable) where male connector 1012 is a USB mini-A plug and male connector1014 is a USB type-B plug. The charging cable 1010 may allowrechargeable battery 40, an internal battery of a mobile device, or bothto be charged by a computer and/or power source. In some embodiments,when the charging cable 1010 connects the case 10 to a computer, themobile device and the computer may be synchronized or synched. In suchembodiments, the cable 1010 may be configured to transfer data from themobile device contained within the case to a computer and/or from acomputer to the mobile device contained within the case.

The cable 1010, in some embodiments, may be able to charge an internalbattery within the case, a rechargeable battery positioned within thecase, or a mobile device placed inside of the case. In some embodiments,the charging cable may be able to charge a mobile device within a case,even though no rechargeable battery is present in the case.

In some embodiments, a headphone adapter 1080 may be provided in the kitdescribed above. The headphone adapter 1080 may be generally configuredto connect a headphone jack that is too large (e.g., has too large of acircumference) to fit through the opening in the case to properlyconnect within the headphone inlet of a mobile device, to a headphonejack inlet on a mobile device when the mobile device is within the case10. The headphone adapter 1080 may have a female end 1081 connected to amale end 1082 by a connecting wire 1083. In use, a user may plug aheadphone jack (not pictured) into the female end 1081, and then theuser may plug the male end 1082 into the mobile device. The user mayplug a distal end 1084 of the male end 1082 through the headphoneaperture 1085, and into a device within the case, as illustrated in FIG.1A. Once connected, the headphone adapter 1080 can transmit sound fromthe mobile device through the adapter 1080 to the headphones. In anembodiment, no external wire, such as connecting wire 1083, connects themale and female ends. In such an embodiment, the female end and male endare externally directly connected to one another.

FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic view of the case 10 illustrating theelectrical components. As shown in the figure, there are three printedcircuit boards (or “PCBs”), the main PCB1 1001, PCB2 1002, and PCB31003. PCB1 1001 is the main PCB, which may contain such items as acontroller, firmware, an authentication chip, a battery chargingcircuit, and LEDs, etc. FIG. 14, discussed below, contains a blockdiagram of a circuit that can be placed on PCB1 to control the batterycase. PCB2 may contain a case connector, such as a USB, Apple® 30 pin orLightening connector. PCB3 1003 may contain the USB connector. Main PCB11001 connects to PCB2 1002 through a cable 1005. Main PCB1 1001 alsoconnects to PCB3 1003 through a cable 1006. Main PCB1 may also beelectrically connected to the prongs 24 to transfer electrical charge toand from the rechargeable battery 40. In an alternative embodiment, thecomponents of PCB1, PCB2 and PCB3 can be integrated onto a single PCB,or arranged such that the components reside on two PCBs.

As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the battery aperture 22 may beshaped to contain a rechargeable battery 40 and located on the insidepanel 25 of the base portion 20. The battery aperture 22 may comprise adetent 23 shaped in a semi hemispherical fashion to allow a user toeasily remove a battery 40 from the battery aperture 22. The batteryaperture 22 may also comprise conductors, such as leads or prongs 24 toallow a battery 40, when placed in the case, to transfer electricalcharge to the electrical components within the base portion 22 (notillustrated). The prongs 24 may also provide additional pressure to thebattery 40, when placed in the battery aperture 22, to assist in keepingthe battery 40 in place in the base portion 20.

As illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the battery 40 may be shapedgenerally rectangular to fit in the battery aperture 22. The battery 40may have a top end 42, a bottom end 44, a left side 46, and a right side48. Electrical connectors 45 may be disposed on the bottom end 44 and belocated on the bottom end to correspond with the prongs 24 in thebattery aperture 22. This may allow for an electrical charge to transmitbetween the battery 40 and the electrical components. The battery 40 mayhave a thickness t. The thickness t may be roughly the same as theheight of the battery aperture. Hence, when the battery 40 is in placein the battery aperture 22, a mobile device, when placed in the case 10lies flat. In some embodiments, the thickness t may be slightly lessthan the height of the battery aperture, hence still allowing the mobiledevice when placed in the case to lie flat.

Desirably, the thickness t of the battery 40 is in the range of between2 mm (or about 2 mm) and 12 mm (or about 12 mm) thick. According toother embodiments, the thickness t is in the range of between 3 mm (orabout 3 mm) and 10 mm (or about 10 mm), between 3 mm (or about 3 mm) and7 mm (or about 7 mm), between 6 mm (or about 6 mm) and 9 mm (or about 9mm), or between 7 mm (or about 7 mm) and 8 mm (or about 8 mm).Desirably, the thickness t of the battery 40 is less than 13 mm (orabout 13 mm), less than 10 mm (or about 10 mm), less than 8 mm (or about8 mm), less than 7 mm (or about 7 mm), less than 6 mm (or about 6 mm),or less than 5 mm (or about 5 mm).

The battery 40 may comprise any suitable (preferably rechargeable)battery. The battery may be able to hold 3.7 V or 1700 mAh of charge,1600 mAh of charge, and the like. Such batteries may include a lithiumion battery. In other embodiments, the battery may be nickel cadmium,nickel metal hydride, lithium-ion polymer, lithium polymer, lead acid,or any other type of rechargeable battery. In some embodiments, thebattery may be disposable. The battery may be advantageously shaped tofit within the battery aperture 22. The battery may comprise one or morebatteries, for example two batteries, three batteries, ten batteries, orhowever many a user may possess.

While the illustrated embodiment in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 shows the batteryaperture 22 located roughly in the center of the inside panel 25 of thebase portion 20, in other embodiments the battery aperture may belocated on any portion of the inside panel 25 of the base portion 22,e.g. near the top, bottom, left hand side, right hand side, and thelike. According to other embodiments, the battery aperture may belocated on the back panel 29 of the base portion 20. In suchembodiments, the battery aperture may be covered by a door that may beopened by a user by pressure, or by pressing a button located on thebase portion 20.

The plug 28 may extend from the nested portion 26 and be adapted to beinserted into the port jack of a mobile device. The plug 28 may be ableto communicate electronically with a mobile device and deliver charge toa mobile device from the case 10 containing a battery 40 containing atleast a partial charge, and which can power the mobile device and/orcharge the battery 40. In some embodiments, the plug 28 may also beconfigured to send data to and receive data from a mobile device.

The controls 27 of the nested portion 26 may allow a user to turn thebattery case on or off and/or check the charge level of the rechargeablebattery 40 when inside of the case 10. The charge level may be indicatedby lights such as LED lights 2030 located inside and visible on thesurface of the nested portion 26. The controls 27 may also comprise alight that illuminates when the case is on and is providing charge to amobile device or if the charge level is being tested. The lightcorresponding to the controls 27 may turn off when the case 10 is notbeing used to provide charge to a mobile device such as when the userpresses the control to turn the power off or when the case runs out ofbattery energy or if there is no battery 40 within the battery aperture22.

As shown in FIG. 4, the nested portion 26 may also comprise an inlet 31.The inlet 31 may correspond to or receive a charging cable 1010 that maybe used to charge the battery 40 when contained in the battery aperture22 without removing the battery 40 from the case 10. The charging cablemay be configured to plug into a power source, for example, a computeror laptop device, a car outlet, a power outlet and the like.

Also as illustrated in FIG. 4, the nested portion may comprise a speakeraperture 32 that may correspond to the speaker of a mobile device. Thespeaker aperture may allow access to the speaker of the mobile device sothat the user may listen to music or audio from a mobile device withoutthe case 10 obstructing the sound. In some embodiments (notillustrated), the base portion 20 may comprise more than one speakeraperture in different locations, corresponding to the speaker locationon the mobile device.

In some embodiments, the back panel 29 is made of a lighter plastic orpolymeric material than the inside panel 25 that reduces the totalweight of the case 10. Additionally, the material may be impactresistant enough to resist fracture when the case 10 containing a mobiledevice is dropped from a user's hand, a table, a desk and similarheights onto a variety of surfaces including concrete, asphalt, carpet,and the like. Such a height may include heights such as six feet, fivefeet, four feet, three feet, and the like. The material may also exhibitbeneficial properties such as scratch resistance, modulus, and the like.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4B-4C, the inside panel 25 may extend above theback panel 29, forming a peripheral flange 1050. As is illustrated inFIGS. 4 and 4A-4C, the peripheral flange 1050 may include one or moretabs 33 and recesses 34, corresponding to tabs 18 and recesses 19 on thebumper portion 12. The base portion 20 and the bumper portion 12 of thecase 10, then may be attached to one another by aligning the bumperportion 12 with the base portion 20 and applying pressure to force thecorresponding tabs and recesses on the bumper portion 12 and baseportion 20 to interlock with one another and snap into place. To removethe bumper portion 12 from the base portion 20, a user may flex thebumper portion 12 so that one or more of the corresponding recesses andtabs detach from one another, allowing the bumper portion 12 to releasefrom the base portion 20.

In some embodiments only one of the bumper portion 12 or the baseportion 20 may comprise tabs or recesses. According to one embodiment,the bumper portion may comprise a single, uniform tab extending inwardlyaround the perimeter of the inner surface 85, and the base portioncomprises a uniform recess extending inwardly around the perimeter ofthe peripheral flange that receives the uniform tab of the bumperportion.

The bumper portion and the base portion may be designed with a system oftabs and inlets or indents that securely fit the two pieces together inplace to prevent separation of the bumper portion from the base portionwhen the assembled case is dropped from a user's hand, a table, a deskand similar heights onto a variety of surfaces including concrete,asphalt, carpet, and the like. Such a height may include heights such assix feet, five feet, four feet, three feet, and the like. According tosome embodiments, this configuration allows the bumper portion and thebase portion to stay attached to one another both when a mobile deviceis contained within the assembled case and when a mobile device is notcontained within the assembled case.

As illustrated by the embodiment in FIGS. 6A-6D, a user may insert arechargeable battery and mobile device into the case 10 to provide extraelectrical charge to the mobile device to charge an internal battery ina mobile device. As shown in FIG. 6A, first a rechargeable battery 40,holding at least a partial charge, is inserted into the battery aperture22 in the base portion 20. Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, the user mayattach a mobile device 1060 to the base portion 20 by connecting amobile device 1060 to the plug 28. Then, as shown in FIG. 6C, the usermay attach the bumper portion 12 to the base portion 20 by aligning thebumper portion 12 with the base portion 20 and applying pressure toforce the corresponding tabs and recesses on the bumper portion 12 andbase portion 20 to interlock with one another and snap into place, thussecuring a mobile device 1060 within the case 10. As shown by FIG. 6D,when a user turns on the case by depressing the controls 27 (not shown),the mobile device may display an indicator 1062 on its screen 1061 toconfirm that an electrical charge is being provided to the mobile device1060 through the case.

When a mobile device is within the assembled case 10, the bumper portion12 may extend around the sides of a mobile device. The inner side of thebumper portion 12 may contact a mobile device. The nested portion 26 maycontact a bottom edge of a mobile device. The inside panel 25 of thebase portion 20 may contact or partially contact a back side of a mobiledevice. A portion of the bumper portion 12 may extend partially over afront side of a mobile device to help secure a mobile device in the case10. The front of a mobile device 1060 may comprise the display of amobile device, a keyboard, a rollerball, a control pad, a touch screen(for example, 1061 in FIG. 6D), and the like.

As illustrated in FIG. 6D, desirably, the bumper portion desirablysurrounds each of the sides of the four corners of the mobile device.Desirably, the bumper portion surrounds each of the ends and sides ofthe mobile device. Desirably, the bumper portion substantially coverseach of the sides of the four corners of the mobile device. Desirably,the bumper portion substantially covers each of the ends and sides ofthe mobile device.

FIG. 7 illustrates a charger 50 according to an embodiment. The charger50 may have a top end 91, a bottom end 92, a left side 93, and a rightside 94. The charger 50 may also have a front side defining a front face95 of the charger and a rear side defining a rear face 96 of the case.The charger 50 also comprises a side edge 1070 that defines the sideperimeter and thickness of the charger, and connects the front face 95and the rear face 96. The charger 50 is generally provided to charge arechargeable battery 40, as described previously.

As is illustrated in FIG. 7, the charger may be shaped in a generallyrectangular fashion. However, in other, non-illustrated embodiments, thecharger may be generally circular, triangular, or any other suitablegeometric shape.

The charger 50 may define a battery aperture 52, shaped to contain arechargeable battery 40. The battery aperture 52 may comprise a detent54 shaped in a semi hemispherical fashion to allow a user to easilyremove a battery 40 from the battery aperture 52. The charger 50 mayalso comprise an inlet 55. The inlet 55 may correspond to a chargingdevice (such as cable 1010 in FIG. 1) that may be used to charge thebattery 40 when the battery 40 is placed in the battery aperture 52. LEDlight 51, located on the front face 95 of the case, may becomeilluminated when the charger is connected to a power source by thecharging cable. The charging cable may be configured to plug into apower source, for example, a computer or laptop device, a car outlet, apower outlet and the like. The charging cable may be of the same typedisclosed above.

According to some embodiments, the charger 50 comprises a mount insteadof an aperture shaped like the battery 40. The mount may comprise metalprongs to transfer power from a charger to the battery attached to themount. A mount may support the battery in the charger, but withoutsurrounding the battery on all four sides as the embodiment illustratedin FIG. 7.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the charger 50 may also comprise conductors,such as leads or prongs 58. The prongs 58 may extend from an end walldefining the battery aperture and allow an electrical charge to betransferred to a battery 40 when placed in the charger 50 when acharging cable is connected to the inlet 55 and a power source. Theprongs 58 may also provide additional pressure to the battery 40, whenplaced in the battery aperture 52, to assist in keeping the battery 40in place in the charger 50. The prongs 58 may also transfer electricalcharge from the battery 40 in the charger when the charger 50 isunplugged from a power source.

FIG. 8 illustrates another view of an embodiment of the charger 50.According to an embodiment, the back side of the charger 50 may comprisea layer 56 of material. The layer 56 may comprise a polymeric materialsuch as rubber. In some embodiments, the layer 56 may be tacky. Thelayer 56 may exhibit a coefficient of fraction in the range of 0.75-4.5.The layer 56 may prevent the charger 50 from sliding when subjected to ashearing or linear force when on a hard, flat or relatively surface suchas a table, desk, car dashboard, airplane or train tray table, and thelike. In some embodiments, the layer 56 may prevent the charger fromsliding or otherwise coming displaced when placed inside of the case 10.In other embodiments, the layer 56 may prevent the charger from slidingwhen placed on top of the inside panel 25 of the base portion 20.

In some embodiments, the charger may comprise an additional port thatmay be used to transfer power from a battery in the charger, when thebattery contains a charge, to another power receiving entity. In someembodiments, the port may comprise an USB port. Thus, in someembodiments containing the additional port, the charger may alsotransfer power from a battery within the charger containing a charge tocharge a laptop, tablet, PDA, e-reader, mp3 player (such as an iPod®),or any other suitable electronic device. According to some embodiments,the charger may also comprise an aperture shaped to form a negativeimpression of a data port.

According to an embodiment, a charger 50 may be able to discharge powerfrom a rechargeable battery contained within, to the case 10 when a porton the charger is inserted into the inlet 31.

In an embodiment, the charger may have an insert configured to receiveeither a micro-USB end or a USB end or any end of a charging cable. Insuch an embodiment, one charging cable may be used to connect thecharger to a power source, and a different charging cable inserted inthe insert may be connected to the inlet of a case. This configurationmay allow for a rechargeable battery contained within the charger, thecase, and/or a mobile device contained within the case, and/or arechargeable battery contained within the case to all be charged at thesame time. In such an embodiment, the power source charges the charger,which in turn charges the case, which in turn charges a rechargeablebattery contained within the case and/or a mobile device containedwithin the case.

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of a kit 70 comprising a case 110, acharger 150, and at least one rechargeable battery 140. According tosome embodiments, the case 110, charger 150, and/or at least onerechargeable battery 140 encompass the features discussed in theembodiments of cases, chargers, and rechargeable batteries discussedabove. As is shown in FIG. 9, the charger 150 fits within the perimeterof the case 110. The charger 150 may contact the inner surface 125 ofthe case 110. When placed inside the case 110, the charger 150 iscontained within the case by the bumper portion 112. The bumper portionmay define at least one sidewall which extends transverse to the planewhich corresponds to the rear surface of the mobile device when themobile device is received by the case. For ease of reference, it isassumed that the inside panel 25 and the plane are positionedhorizontally and, accordingly, the sidewall extends transversely or,preferably vertically. As is illustrated in FIG. 10, which illustratesthe charger 150 within the case 110, the charger 150 is flush orsubstantially flush with the top edge of the bumper portion 112. Thebumper portion 112 has a depth d. The depth of the charger 150 may beequal to or less than d.

In some embodiments, as illustrated in the embodiments of FIGS. 9 and10, when the charger 150 is positioned inside of the case 110, thecharger 150 does not extend above at least one, and preferably above anyvertically extending side of the case. This may mean that the charger150 is flush with the bumper portion 112, or that, when placed againstthe inner surface 125 of the case 120, the charger 150 does not extendas high vertically as the bumper portion.

In some embodiments, a battery 140 may also be stored in the batteryaperture 152 of the charger 150 when it is placed in the case 110.According to other embodiments, a rechargeable battery 140 may be placedin a battery aperture of the case 110 (not illustrated) when the charger150 is placed in the case. According to yet other embodiments, arechargeable battery may be placed in the battery aperture 152 of thecharger 150 and a different rechargeable battery may be placed in thebattery aperture of the case 110. Thus a kit according to an embodimentmay be able to store up to at least two rechargeable batteries and thecharger in the space of the case 110 itself.

The charger's compact design and ability to fit within the case allowsfor the kit described in aforementioned embodiments to travel easily.The compact kit may be able to fit into backpacks, luggage, purses,pockets, and the like for easy travel. Also, the ability for the piecesof the kit to fit within one another lessens the likelihood that thepieces of the kit will become separated from one another in a large bagor purse. According to some embodiments, the charger has a polymericcoating on the back of the charger that prevents the charger fromslipping when placed in the case. This coating, in some embodiments, mayalso help adhere the charger to the case when a user is traveling, sothat the components of the kit are more likely to stay together.

The kit, according to some embodiments, also has the ability to providea continuous stream of power to a mobile device over an extended periodof time. According to one method, a user may charge a rechargeablebattery using the charger while a mobile device is inserted into thecase where an already-charged rechargeable battery has already beeninserted into the case. The user may use the controls to transfer powerto the mobile device when needed (e.g., when the mobile device runs outof its own internal battery). Once the rechargeable battery inside thecase has drained, a user may remove the mobile device, remove thedrained battery, replace the drained battery in the battery aperture ofthe case with the rechargeable battery containing at least a partialcharge, replace the mobile device in the case, then use the controlswhen necessary to provide additional charge to the mobile device. Thedrained battery may be inserted into the charger, which may be thenconnected to a power source to restore charge to the rechargeablebattery. In some embodiments, several pre-charged rechargeable batteriesmay be carried by the user, so that a recharging step is unnecessary.

By cycling draining and charging rechargeable batteries within the caseand charger, respectively, a user can keep their mobile device on and/orfunctioning for extending periods of time without having to plug eitherthe phone or the case into a power source. This is beneficial forcircumstances where a user may have limited or no access to a powersupply, e.g. on a long flight or train ride, at an airport or trainstation, on a long car ride, when travelling in the wilderness, and thelike.

As shown in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11, a system 200 maycomprise a case 210 and a charger 250 configured to attach to theinterior of the case 210. The system may also include one or morerechargeable batteries 240. According to some embodiments, the case 210,charger 250, and/or at least one rechargeable battery 240 encompass thefeatures discussed in the embodiments of cases, chargers, andrechargeable batteries discussed in embodiments above. The embodiment ofFIG. 11 shows the charger 250 attached to the case 210. The charger 250may have a recess defining a negative relief image of a protrusion inthe case 210. In some embodiments, the recess may be shaped to receive adata port protrusion. In other embodiments, the recess may be shaped toreceive a protrusion that has been pre-formed into the base portion 210or the bumper portion 212 of the case.

FIG. 12 illustrates a magnified view of the bottom portion of theembodiment of FIG. 11, with a cutaway view of the port 228 inside of thecharger recess 257. In this embodiment, the charger 250 is securelyconnected to the nested portion 226 of the base portion 220 of the case210 via the port 228. When connected, the charger 250 desirably shouldnot separate from the case 210 due to common forces that an object mayexperience when in a purse, backpack, luggage and the like. This canensure that the pieces of the system 200 do not come separated from oneanother in travel and are thus easy for a user to find as well ascompact.

According to some embodiments, the charger further comprises a mechanismsuch as a latch in the recess to further guarantee that the charger willnot come separated from the case when they are connected to one anotherduring travel. In some embodiments, the charger comprises a buttonconnected to the latch that the user can press to release the latch andthe charger from the case after the charger has been connected to thecase.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of control circuitry 400 that can reside inthe battery case 10. In one embodiment, the circuitry 400 depicted inFIG. 13 can be placed on PCB1, or if desired, can be placed on eithermultiple printed circuit boards or a single printed circuit board.Circuitry 400 comprises auxiliary battery 40 that can be charged anddischarged using circuitry 400. Electric current is supplied tocircuitry 400 of battery case 10 through a port 402 located in-line withinlet 31. In one embodiment, port 402 can be a micro-USB port capable ofreceiving charging cable 1010 that passes through inlet 31 and isinserted into the micro-USB port. USB, which stands for universal serialbus, is a standard that allows for the supply of electrical current anddata signals to peripherals such as mobile devices.

Electrical current that is received on the power supply rails of port402 is supplied to a DC-DC switch 404 and a battery charging device 406.When the battery case 10 has a charging cable 1010 inserted into port402 and the mobile device is in an active state, i.e., powered up, acurrent sensor 403 determines the amount of current being drawn by themobile device. When the mobile device is drawing a relatively largeamount of current (over approximately 800 mA in the case of an iPhone®),the current sensor 403 sends an indication to DC-DC switch 404 that themobile device is in need of a charge. In such a high-current drawsituation, DC-DC switch 404 will direct most of the current receivedthrough port 404 to the appropriate pins on the connector 405 that isinserted into the mobile device. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG.13, connector 405 that is inserted into the mobile device is aLightning® connector used in Apple® iPhone® mobile devices, but othertypes of connectors are contemplated and should be selected bydetermining which type of charging and data connector is used by themobile device that will be used with the battery case 10. (Lightning isa trademark of Apple Inc.)

Should the current sensor 403 determine that the mobile device isdrawing a relatively low amount of electrical current, DC-DC switchsignificantly reduces the amount of current being input to the mobiledevice and instead directs the current to battery charging device 406.In one embodiment, battery charging device 406 can be a linearsingle-cell lithium ion battery charger integrated circuit. Batterycharging device 406 in turn supplies electrical current to the battery40, resulting in charging of battery 40. Thus, when battery case 10 isconnected to source of electric current through charging cable 1010,current is always supplied to the connected mobile device, and when themobile device is drawing a reduced amount of current, indicative of acharged battery, battery 40 of battery case is then charged. Controlcircuitry 400 also comprises a microcontroller 415, which controlsbattery charging device 406.

When charging cable 1010 is removed, the mobile device will draw currentfrom its internal battery. As the mobile device draws this current, itsinternal battery will lose its charge, and eventually become exhausted.In addition to protecting the mobile device from impacts and the like,battery case 10 provides an advantage of being able to supply electriccurrent to the mobile device when internal battery of the mobile devicebecomes exhausted, or close to exhausted. A problem with prior batterycases is that there was not a reliable manner in which to communicatebattery conditions from the mobile device to the battery case such thatthe battery case would start charging the internal battery of the mobiledevice. Certain battery cases relied solely on user intervention, i.e.,when a user determined that the internal battery of the mobile devicewas exhausted, such user could enable a switch on the case that wouldmanually enable supply of current from the battery of the battery caseto the mobile device. This is not an optimal solution.

Another means of providing mobile device battery condition informationto the battery case could be by sending battery condition data from themobile device, through its charge and sync port, to the battery case.This solution is also not effective because battery condition data sentthrough charge and sync ports on mobile devices is not reliable, andregardless, required processing devices of the battery case to interpretsuch data. Inaccurate information is problematic since the battery casemight not select a proper time to start current supply. Moreover, forvarious reasons, including cost, it is desirable to use simplemicrocontrollers with limited processing abilities. Use of a processingdevice internally to the battery case that is low cost might be unableto perform the calculations to determine when to start supplying currentto the mobile device. Because of this, the presently described batterycase utilizes a wireless solution that transmits information indicatingwhen to start supplying current to the mobile device throughradiofrequency signals that can be exchanged between the mobile deviceand the battery case.

In a presently preferred embodiment, communication of battery conditioninformation is transmitted by the mobile device to control circuitry 400using radiofrequency signals conforming to the Bluetooth Low Energystandard. Thus, control circuitry 400 of battery case 10 comprises aBluetooth module 410. Bluetooth-enabled devices such as mobile devicesare capable of being paired with peripherals that conform to theBluetooth standard. The resulting link between paired devices is oftenreferred to a peer-to-peer network. Thus, the wireless link formedbetween Bluetooth module 410 of battery case 10 and the mobile deviceinserted into battery case 10 is a peer-to-peer network.

Many mobile devices allow installation of software applications,sometimes referred to as “apps,” that can run on a mobile device. Thebattery case 10 described herein can be used with a mobile devicerunning a software application that is able to obtain accurateinformation regarding the condition of the internal battery of themobile device, e.g., the level of charge remaining in the internalbattery, by interfacing with one or more application programminginterface(s) (“API(s)”) of the mobile device's operating system.Moreover, the software application can interface with the Bluetoothmodule of the mobile device through appropriate APIs to transmit suchbattery condition information from the mobile device to the controlcircuitry 400 of battery case 10.

Referring to FIG. 13, Bluetooth module 410, which includes any necessaryantenna, radiofrequency devices, control circuitry, and input/outputresources, has connected thereto a reset switch 412. Reset switch 412can be used for at least two functions. The first purpose of resetswitch 412 is to allow a user to “pair” the mobile device to be used andthe battery case 10. The manner in which Bluetooth devices are paired isknown and will not be discussed further. Reset switch 412 can also beused to restart Bluetooth module 410 should there be a system crash orother issue that renders the battery case non-responsive.

Bluetooth module is in electrical communication with a microcontroller415. When microcontroller 415 is active, no current is being supplied tobattery case 10 via charging cable 1010. Microcontroller 415 controlsthe various circuitry of control circuitry 400 as follows. Softwareapplication running on the mobile device preferably operates as abackground process. While running, the software application obtainsinformation regarding the condition of the battery internal to themobile device that is available, e.g., through APIs in the operatingsystem. Such information typically is comprised of the amount of chargeremaining on the mobile device's internal battery, although otherinformation can also be collected as well. When the level of chargestored in the battery of the mobile device falls below a certainpredetermined threshold, the software application may determine that thebattery of the mobile device needs to be charged. When the softwareapplication makes this determination, it causes the Bluetooth module ofthe mobile device to send appropriate signals, over the Bluetoothpiconet, to the Bluetooth module 410 of the battery case 10. Theseinstructions are typically communicated from the software applicationvia Bluetooth APIs of the operating system of the mobile device.Bluetooth module 410 communicates this information to microcontroller415.

Microcontroller 415 is active when battery case 10 is turned on by auser via controls 27 and battery case is not connected to a source ofelectrical current, i.e., when battery case 10 is not connected to acharging cable 1010. When this set of conditions is met, microcontroller415 is powered by battery 40, and microcontroller 415 monitors Bluetoothmodule 410 for receipt of any indication that the internal battery ofthe mobile device needs to be charged. When Bluetooth module 410receives appropriate battery condition information, e.g., an indicationthat the internal battery of the mobile device needs to be charged, suchinformation is received by microcontroller 415. Microcontroller 415 thensends appropriate signals to a DC-DC converter 408 to begin supply ofcurrent from battery 40 to the appropriate pins on the connector 405.Should the supply voltage of the battery be lower than the chargingvoltage of the mobile device, DC-DC converter 408 can be a step upconverter, which will increase the output voltage of battery case 10 tothe appropriate voltage.

The software application, or “app,” running on the mobile device canoperate as follows. The app to the protective case via Bluetooth LowEnergy and acts as an automatic trigger for the case, turning on thebackup battery to begin recharging the phone. The app also acts as abattery monitor for the mobile device inserted into the protective case,measuring the current battery life, and estimating remaining time toperform many common tasks (browsing web using Wi-Fi, talk time, gaming,etc.). The app tracks usage over time with a user login, graph view, andhistory kept in a digital calendar. Users can store their daily batteryusage and develop a trend which, when working in tandem with cloudstorage servers, can help cater a battery experience best for each user,depending on how they use their phone. Moreover, the cloud storageservers can send push notifications to users encouraging them topurchase a new case when their battery life cycle has hit its end.

Upon starting the app, a splash screen can be displayed on the screen ofthe mobile device. The logic of the app is as follows:

Establishing the Connection:

-   -   Check for BLE connection availability:        -   On app load the following methods are called in parallel:        -   method to check the “Bluetooth Central Manager” status.        -   If the peripheral connection is lost “Bluetooth Central            Manager” calls method to retrieve the peripheral connection.    -   Scan for peripherals:        -   If the “Bluetooth Central Manager” is “powered on” the            central manager calls method to scan for available            peripherals.    -   Select devices from list:        -   “Bluetooth Central Manager” calls if peripherals are            detected and lists the available peripherals.        -   Connection is established with a peripheral name using            method.    -   Peripheral service discovery and connection:        -   Once the connection is established with the peripheral,            peripheral starts discovering services        -   Once the service is detected the peripheral starts            discovering characteristic for the identified service.

Write Command:

-   -   Write:        -   Once the peripheral identifies a characteristic, a timer            calls a method checks if the device battery percentage is            less than a predetermined percentage and if the device is            not in the “Charging” status, the peripheral sends command            to turn on the case.        -   The peripheral uses to turn on port1, port2 and find me key.

FIG. 18A is an exemplary view of a login screen, which allows the cloudserver to know which device is communicating therewith. The user isasked to login using an existing account or can create a new one. Theuser can also skip the login. If the user creates a login along with theuser data the token generated using the a method is pushed to thedatabase. The token is used for unique identification of the device.

FIG. 18B is an exemplary monitor view, which displays the user's currentmobile device battery level along with estimates of remaining batterylife when using the phone for common tasks. Once the view is loaded thedevice battery is calculated and the level is displayed in the batterygauge. Along with the battery percentage, the following details are alsocalculated: Talk Time, Wi-Fi, Audio, Video, Gaming and Stand By. Oncethe battery percentage is calculated, information such as batterypercentage, ID token, charge status, time, location, are pushed to adatabase.

FIG. 18C is an exemplary graph view, which pulls details of the currentday by default. It can also display a previous day's battery details ifselected from the “Calendar” view. Data is displayed for previous daysas pulled from the database and plots graph between time of day (on Xaxis) and battery percentage (on Y axis).

FIG. 18D is an exemplary view, which displays the calendar view, wherethe user can see the graph only for the selected day. This view isaccessible only to the logged in users. Used an external “CalendarFramework” to draw the calendar.

Communication protocol of Bluetooth is as follows. When the cellphonebattery voltage is low, the App (application software of cellphone)transfers a series of data to the Bluetooth module. The data format isas following: NUMBER, CMD, DIRECTION, DATA[1], DATA[2], DATA[3],DATA[4], CHK. When the backup power receives the correct data, MCU turnson the discharging circuit.

FIGS. 14-17 illustrate a battery charger 2000. Battery charger 2000 hasthe ability to both charge two independent battery cells 2005 and 2010,shown, for example, in FIGS. 16A-16B, as well as act as a source ofelectric power for an additional battery powered mobile device. FIGS.14A-16B commonly illustrate various views of the battery charge 2000. Asillustrated therein, the battery charger 2000 includes front and backface walls 2210 and 2220 and a left side wall 2230, a right side wall2240, a top side wall 2250, and a bottom side wall 2260 that togetherform the perimeter of the case that reside between the front and backfaces. The outer surface of the walls 2210, 2220, 2230, 2240, 2250 and2260 can have a textured or smooth exterior surface.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 14C-14D, 15A-15B and 16A-16B, the batterycharger 2000 includes left side wall 2230 and right side wall 2240, eachof which are defined by inner and outer surfaces 2231, 2232 and 2241,2242. The battery charger 2000 also includes top side wall 2250 definedby inner and outer surfaces 2251, 2252. The battery charger 2000 alsoincludes bottom side wall 2260 defined by outer surface 2262. Displacedfrom outer surface 2262 is an inner surface 2261. Together, innersurfaces 2231, 2241, 2251 and 2261 define a battery cavity that is sizedto hold two separate battery cells 2005, 2010.

Between outer surface 2262 of bottom side wall 2260 and inner surface2261 is a nested portion 2280. Nested portion 2280 is a flat surfaceextending from outer surface 2262 of bottom side wall 2260 and innersurface 2261 that can contain electrical circuitry for use in thebattery charger. Nested portion 2280 can define a power switch aperture2285, through which a power switch 2290 can extend therethrough. Nestedportion 2280 can further define status lighting apertures 2292, 2294,through which status lights 2296, 2298 can extent therethrough. Statuslights 2296 and 2298 are preferably light emitting diodes (LEDs), andare used to indicate the status of each battery placed in charger 2000.For example, each status light 2296 and 2298 might emit a specific colordepending on the state of charge of a battery inserted into the positioncorresponding to that light. For example, a red color could indicatethat the battery installed in the charging position corresponding tothat status light is charging, while a green color could indicate a fullcharge. Likewise, flashing status lights 2296 and 2298 could be used toindicate battery status.

To facilitate charging of separate battery cells 2005 and 2010, chargingleads 2270, 2272 placed within the battery cavity in a position thatallows each to independently make electrical contract with correspondingcharging leads 2274, 2276 located on a respective one of the batterycells 2005, 2010. In one embodiment, charging leads 2270 and 2272 ofbattery charger 2000 are displaced from each other so that charging lead2270 is in close proximity to the inner surface 2231 of left side wall2230 while charging least 2272 is in close proximity to the innersurface 2241 of right side wall 2240. Such an arrangement allows forinsertion of batteries such that the respective charging leads 2274 and2276 of the separate battery cells 2005 and 2010 are at opposing sidewalls 2230 and 2240 of the charger 2000. This allows for easierinsertion and removal of battery cells 2005 and 2010, as well asreducing the possibility that charging lead 2274 of battery 2010 willcontact the charging lead 2276 for battery cell 2005 during insertion orremoval. Since battery cell 2010 will be in a lower position in thebattery cavity than will battery 2005, inadvertent contact betweencharging leads 2272 of the battery charger and charging lead 2274 ofbattery 2010 would be possible if charging leads 2270 and 2272 were invertical alignment with each other, and such contact would be highlyundesirable.

The circuitry used to control charging of battery cells 2005 and 2010can be placed on a lower printed circuit board 2100 and an upper printedcircuit board 2012 located within the space defined by the nestedportion 2280. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 16A-16B, statuslights 2296 and 2298 are installed on upper printed circuit board 2102so that each can extend through status lighting apertures 2292, 2294,respectively. Power button and associated circuitry and switches arealso installed on upper printed circuit board 2102 so that power buttonextends through power button aperture 2085. Likewise, charging lead 2270is placed on lower printed circuit board 2100 while charging lead 2272is placed on upper printed circuit board 2102. Each charging lead 2270and 2272 is arranged so that the terminals thereon extend into thecharging cavity.

Battery charger 2000 can be constructed so that its housing 2001 isassembled from several molded plastic parts. Housing 2001 can beconstructed of a main housing 2109 that defines left side wall 2230 (aswell as inner and outer surfaces 2231, 2232), right side wall 2240 (aswell as inner and outer surfaces 2241, 2242, top side wall 2250 (as wellas inner and outer surfaces 2251, 2252), and bottom side wall 2260 (aswell as outer surface 2262), and inner surface 2261. A flat base 2110suitable for resting on a flat surface can be affixed to housing 2001 inany manner deemed appropriate. A shield 2112 can be sandwiched betweenthe flat base 2110 and the housing 2001. Housing 2001, shield 2112 andflat base 2110 can be joined using various methods, include, adhesives,screws and heat.

Housing 2001 includes a USB aperture 2015, though which a connector 2020can pass therethrough. In one embodiment, connector 2020 is a USBconnector 2020, and can be placed on lower printed circuit board 2100.Connector 2020 can receive a charging cable (not shown) that can supplycharging current to external devices that are cable of being charged viaconnector (for example, a USB port). Thus, when battery cells 2005 and2010 (or only one of them) is placed in the charger 2000, a user cancharge an additional mobile device. Batteries 2005 and 2010 preferablyhave the same form factor as battery 40 that can be installed inprotective case 10. Thus, battery charger 2000 can be used to charge twobattery cells 2005 and 2010. Once battery cells 2005 and 2010 arecharged, one of those battery cells, e.g., battery cell 2005, can beinserted into battery aperture 22 of battery case 10, while the secondbattery cell, e.g., battery cell 2010, can be left in battery charger2000. A user could then connect a mobile device though a charging cable,e.g., charging cable 1010, to connector 2020, and use the charge storedin battery cell 2010, to charge the connected mobile device.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing the charging and control circuitry2500 used to charge battery cells 2005 and 2010. As discussed, chargingand control circuitry is placed on upper and lower printed circuitboards 2102 and 2100. Electric current is supplied by a power supplythrough charging port 2505. While a micro-USB port 2505 is shown, anytype of port will be sufficient, as will any other manner/connector inwhich current can be supplied to charging and control circuit 2500.Current input through charging port 2505 is input to two chargingcircuits, first charging circuit 2510 and second charging circuit 2515,in parallel, as the parallel arrangement provides heretofore unavailablebenefits.

First charging circuit 2510 receives charging current from port 2505 andinputs this current into a battery charging device 2518. In oneembodiment, battery charging device is a linear single cell lithium ionbattery charging device. Battery charging device 2518 controls thecharging current sent to battery cell 2005. Battery cell 2005 is coupledto transistors 2508. Second charging circuit 2515 also receives chargingcurrent from port 2505 and inputs this current into a battery chargingdevice 2538. In one embodiment, battery charging device 2538 is a linearsingle cell lithium ion battery charging device. Battery charging device2538 controls the charging current sent to battery cell 2010. Batterycell 2010 is coupled to transistors 2528.

Charging and control circuitry 2500 further includes a microcontroller2550. Microcontroller 2550 can independently control the charging ofbattery cells 2005 and 2010, and is coupled to transistors 2508, 2528,which enables such control. Microcontroller 2550 is also coupled to anon/off switch 2290 that controls battery charger 2000. Variouscombinations of button actuations can be used to control charger 2000.For example, a single actuation could either turn the charger on or off,depending on the state of charger 2000. Actuation and maintainingactuation of the on/off switch could also be used to select a specificone of the battery cells 2005, 2010 for charging, or could be used toenable charging of an external device, as will be discussed below.Microcontroller 2550 also controls illumination of LEDs 2296, 2298.

Microcontroller 2550 enables charging of battery cells 2005 and 2010with various logic. For example, with both battery cells 2005 and 2010placed in charger 2000, microcontroller 2550 can charge both at the samerate. Alternatively, charger 2000 can prioritize charging of one batteryof the other. For example, a user may prefer to have battery cell 2005,which is placed at the upper position of charger 2000, to be chargedfirst. Microcontroller 2550 can thus be programmed to prioritize batterycell 2005, directing most or all of charging current to that particularbattery cell.

In an embodiment of charger 2000, charging circuit 2515 is coupled to anexternal device charging circuit 2530. External device charging circuit2530 comprises a DC-DC step up converter 2540 that receives current frombattery 2010 through transistors 2528. DC-DC step up converter 2540steps the output voltage of battery 2010 up to the proper voltage neededto power an external device connected to port 2020 through a chargingcable 1010. Microcontroller 2550 can enable DC-DC step up converter 2540to allow supply of power to a connected external device.

The battery charger 2000 can also contain a wireless module (not shown)that can communicate with a corresponding wireless module on a mobiledevice. The app connects to the battery charger via a wirelessconnection, e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy, and monitors the battery life onthe bank. The app can calculate the approximate time to discharge andrecharge for the battery bank (i.e. if it's connected and discharging,how many hours/min are remaining vs. if it's charging from a walloutlet, how many hours/min are remaining to full charge). The app alsoacts as a remote control, activating and deactivating the individualports on the case, and has an alert (“Find Me”) button to sound a beepon the case to locate it when lost.

Upon starting the app, a splash screen can be displayed on the screen ofthe mobile device. FIG. 19 is an exemplary primary battery status view.It is also where the remote battery connection is setup. The logic ofthe app is as follows:

Establishing the Connection:

-   -   Check for BLE connection availability:    -   Scan for peripherals:        -   If the “Bluetooth Central Manager” is “powered on” the            central manager calls method to scan for available            peripherals.        -   if peripherals are detected and lists the available            peripherals.    -   Select devices from list with the name of the case as prefix:        -   Connection is established with a peripheral having prefix            name as the name of the case    -   Peripheral service discovery and connection:        -   Once the connection is established with the peripheral,            peripheral starts discovering services        -   Once the service (custom service) is detected the peripheral            starts discovering characteristic for the identified            service.        -   Once the peripheral identifies a characteristic for the            identified service, the “Output Port 1”, “Outport 2” and            “Find me key” buttons are enabled

Write/Read/Notify Commands:

-   -   Notify:        -   Battery Status Value Updates:            -   The notify me characteristic calls the method whenever                there is an update in the battery percentage. Once the                battery percentage is calculated the “percentage                circles” animation code is called.        -   The two circles represent the “peripheral percentage” [top]            and “device percentage” (iPhone/smartphone/tablet) [bottom].    -   Write/Read:        -   The peripheral uses method to turn on port1, port2 and find            me key.        -   Toggle on/off Port 1:        -   Toggle on/off Port 2:        -   Find Me Button:

Exemplary service profile information are provided below.

Portable Power Charging Status Profile

When the Portable Power is charging, MCU transfers current batterycapacity, usage cycles and remaining charging time (hour, minutes) toBLE, and then BLE transfers these data to APP. Following is an exemplarydata format: NUMBER, CMD, DIRECTION, DATA[0], DATA[1], DATA[2], DATA[3],DATA[4], CHK. Each byte is definitely defined in the following table.

Label Command name value property NUMBER length of the command 0x09 readCMD charging status information 0x0A read DIRECTION BLE->App 0x11 readDATA[0] battery remaining capacity 0x44 read DATA[1] usage cycle (highbyte) 0x12 read DATA[2] usage cycle (low byte) 0x34 read DATA[3]remaining charging time (hours) 0x2 read DATA[4] remaining charging time(mins) 0x30 read CHK XOR checksum 0x42 read

Portable Power Discharging Status Profile

When the Portable Power is discharging, MCU transfers current batterycapacity, usage cycles and remaining discharging time (hour, minutes) toBLE, and then BLE transfers these data to APP. Following is an exemplarydata format: NUMBER, CMD, DIRECTION, DATA[0], DATA[1], DATA[2], DATA[3],DATA[4], CHK. Each byte is definitely defined in the following table.

Label Command name value property NUMBER length of the command 0x09 readCMD discharging status information 0x0B read DIRECTION BLE->App 0x11read DATA[0] battery remaining capacity 0x56 read DATA[1] usage cycle(high byte) 0x12 read DATA[2] usage cycle (low byte) 0x34 read DATA[3]remaining discharging time (hour) 0x3 read DATA[4] remaining dischargingtime (mins) 0x08 read CHK XOR checksum 0x68 read

Search Battery Profile

To search battery, cellphone App software transfers a series data toBLE. Following is an exemplary data format: NUMBER, CMD, DIRECTION,DATA[0], DATA[1], DATA[2], DATA[3], DATA[4], CHK. Each byte isdefinitely defined in the following table.

Label Command name value property NUMBER length of the command 0x09write CMD Search battery command 0x0C write DIRECTION App -> BLE 0x22write DATA[0] “BLANK” ASCII VALUE 0xFF write DATA[1] “BLANK” ASCII VALUE0xFF write DATA[2] “BLANK” ASCII VALUE 0xFF write DATA[3] constant 0x68write DATA[4] constant 0x86 write CHK XOR checksum 0x36 write

Turn On 2.4 A Output

The user press the 2.4 amperes button first, App software transfers abatch of data to BLE. Data. Following is an exemplary data format:NUMBER, CMD, DIRECTION, DATA[0], DATA[1], DATA[2], DATA[3], DATA[4],CHK. Each byte is definitely defined in the following table:

Label Command name value property NUMBER length of the command 0x09write CMD turn on 2.4 A discharging circuit 0x05 write DIRECTION App ->BLE 0x22 write DATA[0] ‘O’ ASCII VALUE 0x4F write DATA[1] ‘N’ ASCIIVALUE 0x4E write DATA[2] “BLANK” ASCII VALUE 0XFF write DATA[3] ‘2’ASCII VALUE 0x32 write DATA[4] ‘4’ ASCII VALUE 0x34 write CHK XORchecksum 0xD6 write

Turn Off 2.4 A Output

The user press the 2.4 amperes button second, App software transfers abatch of data to BLE. Following is an exemplary data format: NUMBER,CMD, DIRECTION, DATA[0], DATA[1], DATA[2], DATA[3], DATA[4], CHK. Eachbyte is definitely defined in the following table.

Lable Command name value property NUMBER lenth of the command 0x09 writeCMD turn off 2.4 A discharging circuit 0x07 write DIRECTION App -> BLE0x22 write DATA[0] ‘O’ ASCII VALUE 0x4F write DATA[1] ‘F’ ASCII VALUE0x46 write DATA[2] ‘F’ ASCII VALUE 0x46 write DATA[3] ‘2’ ASCII VALUE0x32 write DATA[4] ‘4’ ASCII VALUE 0x34 write CHK XOR checksum 0x65write

Turn On 1 A Output

The user press the 1 ampere button first, App software transfers a batchof data to BLE. Following is an exemplary data format: NUMBER, CMD,DIRECTION, DATA[0], DATA[1], DATA[2], DATA[3], DATA[4], CHK. Each byteis definitely defined in the following table.

Label Command name value property NUMBER length of the command 0x09write CMD turn on 1 A discharging circuit 0x06 write DIRECTION App ->BLE 0x22 write DATA[0] ‘O’ ASCII VALUE 0x4F write DATA[1] ‘N’ ASCIIVALUE 0x4E write DATA[2] “BLANK” ASCII VALUE 0xFF write DATA[3] ‘1’ASCII VALUE 0x31 write DATA[4] ‘0’ ASCII VALUE 0x30 write CHK XORchecksum 0xD2 write

Turn Off 1 A Output

The user press the 1 ampere button second, App software transfers abatch of data to BLE. Following is an exemplary data format: NUMBER,CMD, DIRECTION, DATA[0], DATA[1], DATA[2], DATA[3], DATA[4], CHK. Eachbyte is definitely defined in the following table.

Label Command name value property NUMBER length of the command 0x09write CMD turn off 1 A discharging circuit 0x04 write DIRECTION App ->BLE 0x22 write DATA[0] ‘O’ ASCII VALUE 0x4F write DATA[1] ‘F’ ASCIIVALUE 0x46 write DATA[2] ‘F’ ASCII VALUE 0x46 write DATA[3] ‘1’ ASCIIVALUE 0x31 write DATA[4] ‘0’ ASCII VALUE 0x30 write CHK XOR checksum0x61 write

As previously summarized, FIG. 20 is a perspective view of animplementation of a battery case 310 and a battery case dock 610configured for an Apple iPhone, which is depicted as being housedtherein. FIGS. 21A-H and 22-23 are illustrations of the battery case 310thereof and FIGS. 23A-D are illustrations of the dock 610. The batterycase 310 can employ the same circuitry described above in connectionwith FIG. 13. The circuitry employed may include the wireless module 410described above to control current supply from the battery case to themobile device. Alternatively, the battery case 310 may employ circuitrythat does not include such a wireless module 410 and relies on userintervention to trigger charging of the internal batter of the mobiledevice as previously described. The various features depicted in FIGS.20-23, are described with additional detail below.

As depicted in FIG. 20, the battery case 310 is configured externally tofit and mate within the cavity 620 formed in the upper surface 630 ofthe dock 610. The dock 610 is comprised of a housing 615 that definesthe upper surface 630 and the opposing lower surface 640, which includesnon-slip grip foot pads 641 a-d. The cavity 620 is shaped to conformwith the outer contour of the bottom-end region 320 of the case 310(with the mobile device contained therein). Once inserted, the dock 610supports the battery case 310 (and mobile device therein) on end in anupright position so that the touchscreen on the mobile device isgenerally perpendicular to the supporting surface (e.g., desk) ith aslight upward tilt. Thus, when the lower surface 640 of the dock 610 isresting on a desk, the touchscreen of the mobile device is configured tobe in a readily visible orientation to a user sitting at the desk.

When the case 310 is received within the dock 610, the dock also servesto charge or supply power to the case 310. Power from an external powersource (not shown) is transferred via a cable (also not shown) that isplugged into a port or connector 650 on the docke 610 (as bestillustrated in FIG. 23D) and transferred therefrom through an electricalconnection extending from the connector 650 to spring loaded depressiblecharging pins 621 a and 621 b positioned on the external surface of thebottom of the cavity 620 (as best illustrated in FIG. 23B). Asillustrated in FIGS. 21C and 21G, a corresponding set of chargingcontact pins/plates 321 a and 321 b are positioned on the bottom endregion 320 of the battery case 310 in locations configured to be incontact with the depressible charging pins 621 a and 621 b when thebattery case 310 is inserted or seated in the dock 610.

The electrical circuit that carries the current from the connector 650to spring loaded depressible charging pins 621 a and 621 b, may be asimple pass through connection that is comprised of two wires orconductors that extend from the power rails of the connector 650 to thecharging pins 621 a and 621 b. The charging pins/plates 321 a and 321 bon the case 310 may be electrically connected to circuit 400(illustrated in FIG. 13 and described above) via electrical connectionsto the power rails of connector 402 so that current may flow to circuit400 from the external power source connected to the dock 610.

Referring to FIGS. 21-22, the battery case 310 is comprised of bottomend region 320 that extends to a top end region 330 and a mid-region 340that resides there-between. The three regions define a curved backsurface 350, an integral bumper 312 that extends around and defines theperimeter of the case 310 with the internal surface of the bumper beingdimensioned to be in contact with the external perimeter surfaces of themobile device when the device is inserted in the case 310. The bumper312 includes an inwardly protruding rim or lip 313 that is configured toextend over the front face of the mobile device to retain the device inthe case 310. The back surface 350 is comprised of a rigid panelcomponent 360 that is co-molded to a more elastic and less rigid housingcomponent 370 that forms the top end and bottom end regions, 330 and320, and the bumper 312. The relatively more rigid panel component 360may be formed of a relatively rigid or reinforced polymer or plasticsuch as a polycarbonate or carbon fiber reinforced plastic. The rigidpanel component 360 may be formed of metal or wood or some othersuitably rigid material. The relatively less rigid and more elasticcomponent 370 may be formed of silicone or some other rubber likematerial or polymer. The two components 360 and 370 are co-moldedtogether to form a unitary structure or housing that defines an opencavity 380 that houses the rechargeable battery 40 and the PCB(illustrated in FIG. 21H) that contains the circuitry described above inconnection with FIG. 13.

Once the housing is formed and the rechargeable battery 40 and circuitryis incorporated into the cavity a separately formed cover plate 390,which includes a nested portion 26, is positioned over the cavity andmechanically attached by clip or snap connections 361/391 that extendlongitudinally along the inner surfaces of the rigid panel 360 and coverplate 390. One or more screws received within threaded holes 362 in therigid panel 360 may also be employed. The cover plate 390 may bepermanently attached to the housing components 360 and 370 or removablyattached thereto to provide access to the circuitry and/or rechargeablebattery 40. The cover plate 390 may be formed of a material that is morerigid than the elastic component 370. It can be formed of a materialthat is as rigid or more rigid than the rigid component 360. The case310, like the cases previously described include buttons and ports 16and 14 to correspond with and engage corresponding buttons and/or portson the mobile device.

In operation, the flexible bumper 312 and top end region 330 that isformed by the relatively less rigid and more elastic component 370 allowflexibility so that the user can elastically deform the case includingthe bumper 312 to insert or slip the phone or mobile device into thefully assembled battery case 310. Once inserted, the deformed regionsreturn to the original position to support the mobile device. At thesame time, the co-molded rigid panel component 360 provides structuralrigidity and impact resistance to protect the circuitry 400 and battery40 housed within the case 310.

As bested depicted in the exploded view in FIG. 21H, The nested portion26 in case 310 may be mechanically hinged to the cover plate 390 withhinge pins 395 to allow the nested portion 26 to pivot or hingeoutwardly at its bottom end 396 away from the outer surface of the coverplate 390. The hinging of the nested portion can further ease insertionof the mobile device into the plug 28 (e.g., the lightening connector405). Thus, in use, the user can hinge outwardly the nested portion 26,plug the mobile device into the lightening connector 405, then push thenested portion 26 back into the case 310 and slip the perimeter of themobile device past the lip region 313 of the bumper 312 by deforming themore elastic component 370 that forms that region and the entirety ofthe top-end region. Once inserted in the case 310 the internal surfacesof the bumper 312 (and rim 313 thereof) and the external surface of thecover plate 390 firmly and snugly encase and retain the mobile devicewithin the case 310.

An elegant solution is thereby provided to facilitate user insertion,retention, and removal of a mobile device into a form fitting batterycase having a unitary construction that includes an integrally moldedbumper that extends around the entire perimeter of the case 310. Such aconstruction is capable of avoiding disassembly and maintainingprotection when the case 10 and mobile device retained therein areaccidentally dropped.

Although the various inventive aspects are herein disclosed in thecontext of certain preferred embodiments, implementations, and examples,it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the presentinvention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to otheralternative embodiments and/or uses of the invention and obviousmodifications and equivalents thereof. In addition, while a number ofvariations of the inventive aspects have been shown and described indetail, other modifications, which are within their scope will bereadily apparent to those of skill in the art based upon thisdisclosure. It should be also understood that the scope this disclosureincludes the various combinations or sub-combinations of the specificfeatures and aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, such that thevarious features, modes of implementation, and aspects of the disclosedsubject matter may be combined with or substituted for one another.Thus, it is intended that the scope of the present invention hereindisclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodimentsor implementations described above, but should be determined only by afair reading of the claims.

Similarly, this method of disclosure, is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that any claim require more features than areexpressly recited in that claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive aspects lie in a combination of fewer than allfeatures of any single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claimsfollowing the Detailed Description are hereby expressly incorporatedinto this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as aseparate embodiment.

What is claimed is:
 1. A user removable protective case for a mobiledevice, wherein said mobile device includes an internal battery, acharging/sync port, a wireless link capable of establishing apeer-to-peer connection, and processing device capable of executinginstructions of software applications, said protective case comprising:an enclosure for holding a battery cell; a battery charging circuitcontained within said protective case, said battery charging circuitcomprising: a port for receiving battery charging current; a connectordevice configured to be connected to said charging/sync port of saidmobile device; a current sensor configured to determine current drawn bysaid mobile device installed in said protective case; a switching devicecoupled to said current sensor, configured to direct battery chargingcurrent to said battery cell and said connector device depending oninputs from said current sensor; a battery charging device that receivescharging current from said switching device; a DC-DC convertor thatadjusts voltage of battery power input to said connector; and aprocessing device that controls said battery charging circuit; awireless module capable of communicating with said wireless link of saidmobile device and said processing device of said battery chargingcircuit, said wireless module receiving data comprising instructionsfrom a battery software application running on same mobile device, saidwireless module providing said instructions to said processing device ofsaid battery charging circuit, said instructions indicating whether saidbattery charging circuit should supply current from said battery cell tosaid connector device.
 2. The protective case of claim 1, wherein saidbattery of said protective case can be removed by a user.
 3. Theprotective case of claim 1, wherein said wireless module is a Bluetoothmodule.
 4. The protective case of claim 1, wherein said instructions aredetermined by whether the battery's capacity is less than apredetermined percentage value.
 5. A battery charging device,comprising: a housing having a first charging position and a secondcharging position, each charging position having a respective firstcharging lead and a second charging lead, each of said first and secondcharging leads having terminals that correspond to and can mate toterminals on a battery cell that can be inserted into and removed fromsaid first and second charging positions; a battery charging and controlcircuit comprising a port for receiving charging current, a firstcharging circuit and a second charging circuit, said first chargingcircuit in parallel with said second charging circuit; a processingdevice controlling the first charging circuit and second chargingcircuit; and an external device charging circuit coupled to said secondcharging circuit, said external device charging circuit capable ofsupply of current, through a connection port coupled thereto, to anexternal device.
 6. The battery charging device of claim 5, wherein saidfirst charging lead and second charging lead are displaced from eachother.
 7. The battery charging device of claim 6, wherein said firstcharging lead is placed on a first printed circuit board while thesecond charging lead is placed on a second printed circuit board.
 8. Aprotective case for a mobile device, the protective case comprising: anenclosure for holding a battery cell; a battery charging circuitcontained within the protective case; and a wireless module capable ofcommunicating with a wireless link of the mobile device and the batterycharging circuit, wherein when the mobile device is drawing a currentthat is larger than a predetermined amount, the battery charging circuitdirects most of the current to the mobile device, and wherein when themobile device is drawing current that is small than the predeterminedamount, the battery charging circuit directs most of the current to thebattery cell.
 9. The protective case of claim 8, wherein thepredetermined amount of current is 800 mA.
 10. A protective battery casefor a mobile device, wherein said mobile device includes an internalbattery, a charging/sync port, a wireless link capable of establishing apeer-to-peer connection, and processing device capable of executinginstructions of software applications, said protective case comprising:a base having a back surface extending from a top end to a bottom endregion and having a mid region there-between, said base defining anenclosure that houses a battery cell and a battery charging circuit,said battery charging circuit comprising: a port for receiving batterycharging current; a connector device configured to be connected to saidcharging/sync port of said mobile device; a current sensor configured todetermine current drawn by said mobile device installed in saidprotective case; a switching device coupled to said current sensor,configured to direct battery charging current to said battery cell andsaid connector device depending on inputs from said current sensor; abattery charging device that receives charging current from saidswitching device; a DC-DC convertor that adjusts voltage of batterypower input to said connector; a processing device that controls saidbattery charging circuit; external metal charging terminals; and awireless module capable of communicating with said wireless link of saidmobile device and said processing device of said battery chargingcircuit, said wireless module receiving data comprising instructionsfrom a battery software application running on same mobile device, saidwireless module providing said instructions to said processing device ofsaid battery charging circuit, said instructions indicating whether saidbattery charging circuit should supply current from said battery cell tosaid connector device; and wherein said base being comprised of (a) afirst component that includes the top end region and a perimeter bumperregion that extending around the entire perimeter of the case defined bysaid top, bottom and mid-regions of the base, and (b) a second componentthat includes the mid-region of the base, and wherein said first andsaid second components are co-molded into a unitary structure and saidfirst component is formed of a material that is more elastic and lessrigid than the material that forms the second component.
 11. The batterycase of claim 10 further comprising a cover plate that is attached tothe base to cover the battery housed therein.
 12. The battery case ofclaim 11 further comprising a nested region positioned at the bottom endregion of the case within the perimeter of the bumper, said nestedregion including a plug adapted to be inserted into the charging/syncport of the mobile device.
 13. The battery case of claim 12, whereinsaid nested portion is attached to said cover plate and is adapted tobeing hinged outwardly away from said cover plate.
 14. The battery caseof claim 13 further being part of a charging kit having a dock thatincludes a bottom surface that is configured to rest on a flat supportsurface and a top surface that includes a cavity contoured to conformwith the external shape of the bottom end region of the battery case.15. The battery case of claim 14, wherein said cavity is adapted toreceive the bottom end region of the battery case and support thebattery case in an upright position so that the area extending betweenthe nested portion and the top end region is visible.
 16. The batterycase of claim 15, wherein said dock includes metal charging terminalsthat are located in the cavity and positioned to correspond and be incontact with the external charging terminals on the battery case.